Improvement in mole-plows



A. HAMMOND.

Mole-Plow. I

a 6 8 1|..- H n 01 I 1 E L P rm A I H w A 0 b n e m Mm P v lnve nto r:

Witnesses= AM. FHOTO-LI THC. Cu. NY {0831, 313 FR'CCESS? 'UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

A. HAMMOND, OF JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lN MOLE-FLOWS.

' Specification forming-part of Letters Patent No. 27,796, dated April10, 1860.

To all whom it may concern.- 7

Be it known that I, A. HAMMOND, of J acksonville, in the county ofMorgan and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Mole-Flows; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which-Figure 1 represents a side view of my improved machine, with the toothor shoe for forming the drain sunk into the ground. Fig. 2 is a planview of Fig. 1. I

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

This invention relates to improvements in that class ofditching-machines known as the mole-plow. It is used to drain off swampand low land. The drains are formed by cutting channels in the groundfrom one to two or more feet in depth, all leading to one common conduitor channel. In usingthesemole-plows it is frequently necessary to drawthe shoe outof the ground, and as it may be sunk pretty deep in wet andtough boggy mud it is found to be a very difficult operation. The objectof this invention is to construct the machine in such a way that thestandard for carrying the tooth or shoe may be adjusted longitudinallywith the beam of the machine. This adjustment given to the standard willbe useful for regulating the direction of the point of the shoe forforming the drain without the necessityof drawing the shoe out of theearth to set it, all as will be hereinafter described.

To enable thoseskilled in the art to fully understand my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings, A represents a beam of the usual length and strength,mounted upon wheels or rollers B B and arear roller, 0. These wheelsallow the machine to roll over the surface of the ground without sinkingintoit; they also steady the beam A during the operation of ditching.

Near the rear end of the beam and passing through the same is anadjustable standard, D, with its front edge beveled to a knife-edge forthe purpose of cutting freely through sods,

' 860., as the machine is drawn forward. This standard carries on itslower end my patented shoe, which is fully described in my formerspecification. Thisshoeisraisedordepressedin the ground by a winch andendless worm-screw E, which latter operates a large spurred wheel, F, onthe shaft of which is a pinion, F,which engages with rack-teeth on theback of the standard D. On the opposite side of the standard to pinion Fis a friction-roller, G, against which the standard acts while it isbeing raised or depressed by the pinion F. A frictionbearing, G, Fig. 1,placed in a shoe-box, H, serves to relieve the standard of friction atthis point. By the use of those friction-wheels the standard can beraised or depresed with great case, while without them the operationwould be found very difficult and impraetica ble with ordinary power.The gearing and friction-wheel G, forming the upper bearing for thestandardD, have their hearings in a sliding plate; J, which rests upon aplate, K, with lugs to a projecting up from it for keeping the movableplate down on the plate K.

L is a screw-shaft, one end of which is tapped into the vertical lip 12of the fixed plate K,while the other end passes beyond the front end ofthe beam A, and is provided with a winch, 0.

Now, it will be seen, from this description of the parts constituting myinvention that the top of the standard D can be moved or vibrated in adirection with the length of the beam A, that it can be set at anydesirable angle with the beam, and that it can be brought to a verticalposition by the use of the screwshaft L while in the ground. This isdone by loosening the screw-shaft L and moving the machine forward. Thisscrew, with the movable plate J, carrying the upper end of the standard,can be used also for adjusting the position of the standard and also ofthe shoe while the same are in the ground, so as to regulate the depthof the hole to be formed below the surface of the ground. For instance,by inclining the standard the shoe will have an upward tendency, and maythus be elevated or entirely drawn out of the ground. After beingelevated sufficiently the standard may be brought to a vertical positionagain. The hole cut through the beam A for the reception of the standardfriction-rollers G G, arranged as set forth, so

D 'is sufficiently elongated to allow for any deas to regulate the depthfor forming the drain,

sired adjustment of the standard, as described. and at the same time tofacilitate the removal Having thus described my invention,whatI of theshoe from the ground.

claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, A. HAMMOND. is--Witnesses:

The combination, with the standard D, of the O. A. HILARY, movable plateJ, adjusting set-screw L, and OHAUNGY CAMP.

